Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

[benp]

Bit of a frustrating scrounge day today. Had a fair bit on at work today which reduced scrounging time and it was 30*C today which is above my comfortable scrounging temperature. There was a bit of wind today too which means that you're scrounging a mouthful of sawdust as well while you're cutting. I can see why the termites haven't really been into this tree, bluegum sawdust is fair at best.

Anyway, I picked up yesterday's noodled pieces. I did the picking up at the beginning, but took the photo after I had done some more cutting, sorry for the confusion this might cause.

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Limby got temperamental again today. I was about to take to him with the maul when I remembered @MustangMike 's sage advice. Set in 'Run'. Knee on the top. Trigger down. Pull cord. BANG! We were away again. Thanks Mike! If MTronic has the ability to learn and remember things, I hope it learns and remembers that I'll smash the cr@p out of it if it makes me mad enough, often enough.

View attachment 540705

I also had to re-noodle a couple of previously noodled bits down to a size I could lift without risking blowing my back out, I'm a bit more circumspect about that now than I used to be.

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Also had an annoying half buried branch that was in the way of me cutting the main trunk. Of course, it was still attached and I had to cut it. Seeing as the carbide chain on the 460 was already shagged, I shagged it some more cutting dirt as well as this 15 inch branch. So, in the end, I only ended up cutting and noodling 1.5 new discs off the trunk. Mind you, that's still a lot of BTUs at this stage of the game.

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My tree-mance with the bluegum is about to come to an end, however, as there is a 12 inch branch stub stuck down vertically into the ground. This has been great for keeping the bits I have been cutting off the ground but if I cut the stump side of this stub, I'm not certain which way the trunk is going to go and since I have to get under it a bit now to cut through, there won't be any second chances if I guess wrong. So I'll be able to cut off the half disc still there and one half disc from the other side of the branch stub and then I think I'll go and find another tree to post pictures about.

Oh man I laughed at the "Blue gum saw dust is fair at best."

Reminded me of Ralphie from Christmas Story when he was describing soap as he had a bar shoved in his mouth.

"Over the years I got to be quite a connoisseur of soap. My personal preference was for Lux, but I found Palmolive had a nice, piquant after-dinner flavor - heady, but with just a touch of mellow smoothness. Life Buoy, on the other hand..."

Again another awesome scrounge.

Do the noodled chunks split ok by hand or are the still pretty tough?

You do have some awesome scenery there Cowboy. Holy cow.

 

[MustangMike]

Cowboy, glad my advice worked for you, it is always good to "know" a solution. Don't know why I needed to do that with my 362 C for a few times, but then it stopped doing it, so there is hope for your saw. Was sure good to know how to get it running again in the interim.

How about that, I helped someone out who is half way around the world! For someone my age, this internet stuff still impresses me. We could only have imagined it. I remember when all phones were rotary dial corded, and you were lucky if your TV (and everyone only had one) was Color!

Very nice scenery. Have to go, will be delivering a cord or two today now that it has stopped raining (we will see how it goes).

It is so "relaxing" to have a Buck in the freezer, and even though I have several doe tags, I am going to wait till MZ season, which starts on 12/12 so I can take either sex if I choose. Just don't want to see a nice buck I can not take! Also gives me the opportunity to catch up on things.

 

[hardpan]

My wife got Lymes this summer. Ironically she picked up the tick in Florida.

Glad to hear she got a rather fast diagnosis. I know of a few people around here that bounced around for a long time with mysterious ailments only to find much later that it was Lime and advanced. Doctors are getting sharper at identifying Lime disease.

Deer ticks (we call them turkey ticks here) have pretty much ruined my enjoyment in the woods during the warm weather. I am a magnate to the damn things. I can be in the woods with a few other people working or just walking and come out covered with them and nobody else even has one. My dad was the same way with chiggers, he would be covered and I would not have any. It must be something to do with individual body chemistry. I got inoculated against Lime in the form of a 3 shot application about 12 years ago but since have read that the preventative treatment was invalid. I don't know. There are folks on this site who can testify to the debilitating results of Lime disease.

Then we come to the repellents or insecticides we wear, deet, permetherine, what else is new? I use both.

OK OK I am not referring to a fruit or a rock. I meant LYME

 

[svk]

Glad to hear she got a rather fast diagnosis. I know of a few people around here that bounced around for a long time with mysterious ailments only to find much later that it was Lime and advanced. Doctors are getting sharper at identifying Lime disease.

Deer ticks (we call them turkey ticks here) have pretty much ruined my enjoyment in the woods during the warm weather. I am a magnate to the damn things. I can be in the woods with a few other people working or just walking and come out covered with them and nobody else even has one. My dad was the same way with chiggers, he would be covered and I would not have any. It must be something to do with individual body chemistry. I got inoculated against Lime in the form of a 3 shot application about 12 years ago but since have read that the preventative treatment was invalid. I don't know. There are folks on this site who can testify to the debilitating results of Lime disease.

Then we come to the repellents or insecticides we wear, deet, permetherine, what else is new? I use both.

Yes she was very lucky to identify the symptoms. She is kind of a person who always has some type of ailment too so I was quite impressed that she identified that right away. I know a few people who have had lymes either for an extended time or multiple times and it can mess them up. Back before it was a diagnosed disease we knew a guy who folks thought either had gone crazy or was addicted to drugs because it made him act so strange. He did finally get it figured out.

I also know some folks who sell Shaklee and hit a hard regiment of their products in addition to antibiotics when he was diagnosed with advanced lymes. The DR said he had never seen such a quick turnaround, especially for an older fellow.

Being I spend a decent amount of time in the woods I have been lucky. Only had one deer tick ever embedded in me. I rarely use any type of spray either unless it is bug spray for sitting on the deck or by the campfire. Bugs seem to avoid me if anyone else is nearby, my blood must taste bad or something LOL.

 

[hardpan]

Lyme disease is a serious concern for us firewood fanatics.

My introduction to deer ticks came right before I got the inoculation a dozen years ago. I was tent camping with 4 other guys during mushroom season so we all were out looking for supper in the same wooded area. We came out of the woods and I was covered, nobody else had any. I went home 2 days later and I had over a hundred embedded. I picked, scraped, and scrubbed with alcohol all of them away. I soon got sick and stayed sick for 3 weeks with a low grade fever, body aches, and it was almost impossible to stay awake, just felt like crap all day at work. Since then I watch more closely but still get some, 5 or 6 embedded this year.

 

[Philbert]

I used to avoid bug spray - did not like the smell or being coated with chemicals. Used to spend entire summers outdoors leading wilderness trips without it. Mosquitos and black flies were just a nuisance to deal with.

But with Zika, West Nile, Lyme, etc., I now wear it more often.

A few months I participated in a cleanup project with an 'adopt-a-highway' group - thought it was pretty 'safe', but came away with 40+ wood ticks (!!!). Hot, soapy shower, washed my clothes in hot water, and still found them the next day!

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/outdoor/mosquito-borne/
http://www.cdc.gov/ticks/diseases/

Philbert

P.S. - the buzz on the Internet says to dry your clothes in a hot dryer before you wash them. Apparently, the little buggers can survive a swim, but not desiccating heat.
http://www.tickencounter.org/ticksmart/tips

 

[muddstopper]

I very seldom get a tick or mosquito bite. I read somewhere bugs are attracted to certain smells and colors. Drinking a beer will draw in mosquitos. Certain chemistry in the body and such things. I dont know why or how it works, but as long as they leave me alone, I'll leave them alone. I seldom drink beer and drink alcohol for colds and flue only. I love onions on everything. I also read that taking a onion or garlic and wipeing on your body would repel bees. I love eating ramps, they keep everything away, including people. Maybe something to that whole you are what you eat thing.

 

[Philbert]

I read somewhere bugs are attracted to certain smells and colors.

On that highway cleanup project I mentioned, I got waaaaay more ticks than anyone else. Started to wonder if the laundry detergent / fabric softener we use made a difference. Just a speculation - not something I tested.

Philbert

 

[benp]

I have been using permethrin spray on the outside of my clothing and boots before heading into the woods during tick season.

I've been doing that for over 20 yrs. For me, it has worked well.

A couple years ago I was shooting beavers with my friend behind his house.

I pulled 22 ticks off of me when I got back to his house.

Number 23 was rather comical. I was on the way home and swung into the bar.

I was standing there talking to friends, the bartender, and the owner.

I then got this crawling feeling on my butt cheek.

BAM!! Down went my pants and everything and sure enough picked off a tick crawling on my butt cheek.

Pulled my pants back up and proceeded like nothing happened.

2 women gave me five bucks and the bartender bought me 2 beers. Lol

 

[Philbert]

2 women gave me five bucks and the bartender bought me 2 beers. Lol

I would have just gotten arrested if I did that.

Similar thing happened to me with my incident, 'cept I went into the bar bathroom and checked myself. Apparently, I did not get all. Back at the table I found more, so I went outside and pulled off my shirt while a friend picked some more off me while people on the sidewalk looked at us funny.

Things give you the heebee-jeebees for days.

Philbert

 

[dwasifar]

I very seldom get a tick or mosquito bite. I read somewhere bugs are attracted to certain smells and colors.

Certain people, too. My wife and I sit by the fire outside in good weather. If we're out there together, she mostly gets the mosquito bites; they leave me alone until she goes inside. I'm the secondary target, apparently.

I love eating ramps, they keep everything away, including people.

Ramps? Are you the guy who bites big holes into our roads all winter long?

 

[benp]

I would have just gotten arrested if I did that.

Similar thing happened to me with my incident, 'cept I went into the bar bathroom and checked myself. Apparently, I did not get all. Back at the table I found more, so I went outside and pulled off my shirt while a friend picked some more off me while people on the sidewalk looked at us funny.

Things give you the heebee-jeebees for days.

Philbert

Yes they do. And then there's the phantom crawling sensation

 

[hardpan]

I have been using permethrin spray on the outside of my clothing and boots before heading into the woods during tick season.

I've been doing that for over 20 yrs. For me, it has worked well.

A couple years ago I was shooting beavers with my friend behind his house.

I pulled 22 ticks off of me when I got back to his house.

Number 23 was rather comical. I was on the way home and swung into the bar.

I was standing there talking to friends, the bartender, and the owner.

I then got this crawling feeling on my butt cheek.

BAM!! Down went my pants and everything and sure enough picked off a tick crawling on my butt cheek.

Pulled my pants back up and proceeded like nothing happened.

2 women gave me five bucks and the bartender bought me 2 beers. Lol

OK. I just gotta ask. The women, did they "tuck" the bills? LOL

 

[Erik B]

OK. I just gotta ask. The women, did they "tuck" the bills? LOL

 

[benp]

LOL!

Nope just put them on the bar next to me and smiled

 

[Tenderfoot]

Welp, I was in bed all week sick. Finally had energy to get some work done today before it got dark. Decided it was a good day to play with the new GoPro too and break out the 6100. I cut up about a half cord of river birch and split maybe 1/4 cord by hand. Just feeling slow today.

I did fill up the trailer to stack tomorrow with some splits. Think one of my Uncles needs some wood so I may have to motivate and deal with that. Probably just give it to him if he helps me split for a day. He's getting fat and needs the exercise.

Running out of wood to sell too. Rest of my wood wont be ready till January or Febuary. Going to have to actually get off my ass and start making some calls.

 

[Toy4xchris]

Is it considered a scrounge if it's in your backyard?

sent from my electronic leash

 

[muddstopper]

Certain people, too. My wife and I sit by the fire outside in good weather. If we're out there together, she mostly gets the mosquito bites; they leave me alone until she goes inside. I'm the secondary target, apparently.


Ramps? Are you the guy who bites big holes into our roads all winter long?

 

[SeMoTony]

I very seldom get a tick or mosquito bite. I read somewhere bugs are attracted to certain smells and colors. Drinking a beer will draw in mosquitos. Certain chemistry in the body and such things. I dont know why or how it works, but as long as they leave me alone, I'll leave them alone. I seldom drink beer and drink alcohol for colds and flue only. I love onions on everything. I also read that taking a onion or garlic and wipeing on your body would repel bees. I love eating ramps, they keep everything away, including people. Maybe something to that whole you are what you eat thing.

RAMPS????????????????????befudled & confused

 

[MustangMike]

Delivered 2 cord today.

I think ticks are more attracted to light colors and light colored dogs.

I have heard that onion & garlic help to repel bugs.